Prospecting, prospecting, prospecting… no matter how much we want our “A-players” focused on closing business, building pipeline is still an integral part of any successful sales strategy.

Many Reps equate prospecting with the dreaded cold-calling. Some feel that their tenure has elevated them above the prospecting fray.

Probably more importantly, bells aren’t wrung & club isn’t often achieved for prospecting prowess. It’s no wonder Reps shirk, skirt or under-power their prospecting efforts.
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It is up to us, the Inside Sales Leaders, to address this. Reps need to understand that prospecting is a process; not an event. The once-per-week call blitz is not sufficient. Successful prospecting requires a daily process, a good attitude, and the right tools to be successful.

When you think of prospecting, think of a Swiss Army Knife:

 
Today, Inside Sales leaders are increasingly facing the challenge of managing remote teams. Technology is making managing easier, but coaching remains a challenge.

Many first-line managers wonder:

How in the world am I going coach and mentor my team if I’m not sitting next to them, or in the same city or time zone for that matter?
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Just the other day I saw this question on the AA-ISP message board:

I spent the day at the Boston Sales 2.0 Conference  last week. What follows are the pearls of wisdom I was lucky enough to pick up.

Enjoy! (Note: you'll find some of my comments in italics)
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Customers

"An IBM study reports that 80% of CEOs say getting closer to the customer is a major priority."
- Keith Hontz, VP Sales Line of Business Solutions - SAP America
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"Don’t interact with your customers without preparation. Three drivers: 1) access to contact specific customer info, 2) analytics to anticipate trends and 3) integration into one place."
- Chuck Penfield, VP CRM on Demand - Oracle
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"Are all your customers created equally, and if not, shouldn't that dictate compensation?" 
- Chris Cabrera, Founder, President & CEO - Xactly
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I recently had the pleasure of doing a podcast with the team at OpenView Venture Partners on “pitfalls to avoid when building an inside sales team.”  It was a great conversation with Brian Zimmerman, Managing Director at OpenView, led by Devon Warwick (@devwarwick).

(Note: You can read through a transcript of the conversation, you can listen to the podcast, or you can view a brief slideshare presentation of the highlights below.)
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Inside Sales is Strategic